Of all Democrats, Allen Boyd should be safe, but he's not

Each morning as he heads out on the campaign trail, an increasingly bleak and hostile landscape, U.S. Rep. Allen Boyd must ask himself, "Why me?"

Democrats are under siege everywhere, but during 14 years in office, Boyd has carved a profile as a conservative "Blue Dog," comfortable in an increasingly Republican North Florida. He has never faced a close election.

Last week, he got the endorsement of the NRA and before that, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. If anyone should feel at ease in this turbulent midterm election cycle, it is Boyd.

But he's not. The 65-year-old farmer and rifle platoon leader in Vietnam narrowly escaped a primary challenge and, polls suggest, is losing his grip on the Panhandle district — facing the double whammy of being a longtime incumbent and a Democrat during a weak economy.

"People are ready for change," said Devoe Moore, a Tallahassee businessman and registered Democrat who has supported Boyd in the past. (story here)

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